Art
by Riognacht
Summary: What if Kernel had chosen differently? What if Kernel decided that he loved his baby brother no matter what? AU, oneshot


**Lord Loss is on his throne, the hell-child on his lap, Vein sitting to attention at the base of the throne. No other demons are in the room. **

**"Say it again, Cornelius," Lord Loss murmurs. "So there can be no doubt." **

**"I'm the thief," I mutter, still not sure how that can be true. "I stole… I don't know how, but… It was when I was lonely, a year ago. I came here… when I stepped through the window of lights in my bedroom…"**

**Lord Loss chuckles and bounces the hell-child up and down. "This is Artery," he says, "brother of Vein. They are two of my current favourites. Loyal servants, and most amusing when I set them loose on a human. Some time ago, an intruder opened a window into my kingdom. When I peered through it, I found you, Cornelius. I was inclined to take you, to punish you for your impudence. But there was something about the way you faced me and a crackle of unusual magic in the air. I thought it better to wait and observe.**

**"You came through the window after me. It was outside the castle. Artery was playing nearby, torturing a lesser demon. You grabbed and subdued him, magically transformed him, supplied him with human features, took him to your universe, created a new identity for him and shortened his name to…" **

**"Art!" I croak, more of the memories clicking into place, understanding coming slowly but certainly. **

**The air around the hell-child shimmers. When it clears, my brother is sitting on the demon master's lap. **

**He gurgles at me, but with Artery's screechy voice. Dim flashes of orange light in his eyes. His messy hair. Head that's slightly too large for his body. His sharp teeth. **

**"It was when he bit me," I whisper. "That's when I knew. Art loved to bite. And the marbles, when he held them over his eyes—they looked like the demon's." **

**Lord Loss nods slowly. "You stole him, Cornelius. You were lonely, desperate for a friend, somebody who would be true to you and with you always. You found a way into my kingdom. Snatched Artery. Gave him human shape. Convinced yourself that he was your natural brother." **

**"But Mum and Dad must have known the truth!" I cry.**

**"They knew he was not theirs," Lord Loss agrees. "But they did not know he was a demon, where he came from or why you believed he was your brother. He reminded your mother of the baby daughter she lost. She saw him as a second chance, a gift from the gods. Your father wanted to give the baby to the police, to be returned to its rightful parents. He tried to sway Melena, without success. She used you to swing him round to her way of thinking. You thought the baby was your brother. If they took him away, she said you'd suffer dreadfully. Out of love for you, he agreed to lie. **

**"They watched the news closely—furtively—over the coming days. If a baby had been reported missing, perhaps decency would have won out and your father would have handed Art over. Or perhaps not. Your sister's death had hurt him terribly too. Maybe he would have let your mother talk him into holding on to the child, no matter what. **

**"In any event, when there was no mention of a missing baby, they decided to keep him and rear him as their own, as the brother you believed he was. But they couldn't stay in the city, where people knew they only had one child. So they abandoned their jobs and fled. Took you and the baby away. Started a new life in Paskinston, where nobody had cause to be suspicious, where things were simpler, where they could rear their new son in peace." **

**He strokes Art's head, never taking his eyes off me. I'm trembling uncontrollably, my world falling to pieces, the last year of my life exposed as a lie, me revealed as a villain, Mum and Dad as devious accomplices. **

**"How did he transform the demon?" Beranabus asks. "Transfiguration's a complicated spell. He couldn't have managed it alone." **

**"Yet he did," Lord Loss says. "I assumed he was the pawn of a powerful magician, maybe even a fellow demon. That is why I did not retrieve Artery immediately. I hoped the manipulator of the boy would reveal himself. Eventually, I decided to steal Artery back, hoping to tempt Cornelius' master out of hiding. It was only when Cornelius came into this universe and tested his powers that I realised he'd acted alone. I still do not know how he did it—only that he did." **

**Everyone's staring at me. I feel like an exhibit at a freak show. Roll up! Roll up! Come and marvel at Kernel Fleck, thief of demons, master of disguise! He can hide a demon from everybody—even himself!**

**"So I never had a brother," I whisper. "It was all a lie." **

**"A dream," Lord Loss corrects me. "And now you have awoken, thanks to my generous help." **

**"Some help!" Dervish snorts. "You could have just told him." **

**"That would have been cheating," Lord Loss says. "He had to discover the truth himself—or search for it in vain for the rest of his life. I would have been happy either way. The misery of his ignorance would have been sweet. But the misery of his understanding is just as welcome." **

**"What misery?" Shark asks. "He beat you. He found out the truth." **

**"And lost a brother in the process," Sharmila says softly, as I weep quietly. **

**"But he never had a brother," Shark says. "It was a sham, a cuckoo's child." **

**"But Kernel thought it was real." Sharmila frees herself from Beranabus' grip, walks over and lays a hand on my shoulder. Squeezes gently. **

**"What now?" Beranabus asks, businesslike, no longer interested in the mystery of the theft or the illusion. **

**"Are we free to leave?" **

**"Of course," Lord Loss says. "Cornelius fulfilled the terms of our agreement. He discovered the true thief and named him. You can depart whenever you like." He looks around absent-mindedly. **

**"Cadaver seems to have slipped away while we were otherwise involved, but I am sure you can track him down again." **

**"Then let's go," Beranabus says. "We've wasted enough time on this farce." **

**"Shut up, you stupid, thoughtless man!" Sharmila shouts, surprising us all. She glowers at Beranabus, then strokes the back of my neck. "There is the matter of Kernel's brother to settle." **

**"Brother?" Beranabus huffs. Sharmila points at the child on Lord Loss' knee. "But that's just a demon made up to look like a boy." **

**"Yes. But he has been Kernel's brother for the past year. And I suspect, by the smile of his master, he can be again. If Kernel so wishes." **

**Lord Loss laughs hollowly. "You have a sharp eye, Miss Mukherji." He holds Art—Artery—up with four of his hands. The baby giggles and tries to bite off one of the demon master's fingers. **

**"Artery is precious to me, but he has been equally precious to Cornelius. I am not evil-hearted—I have no heart, either evil or good—so I am willing to let my familiar go. If Kernel wishes to take him, I will not stand in his way." **

**I slowly look up. "I can have Art back? He can be my brother again?" **

**"If you want," Lord Loss smiles. **

**I stare at the demon master, then at Art, grinning at me over the lumpy fingers. He looks no different than he did the day Cadaver took him. Why shouldn't I take him home as my brother, carry on with life and try to forget that this mad period of time ever happened? **

**"What would he be like when he grew up?" Dervish asks. **

**"Can one ever judge how a child will grow up?" Lord Loss says slyly. **

**"You know what I mean. Right now he likes biting people. Will he want to do worse things when he's older? Will he be more demon than human? A man on top, a monster beneath?" **

**"What a way you have with words." Lord Loss shrugs. "I think the true Artery will shine through. Cornelius has the power to shackle him, but not rid him of his origins. He'll want to do terrible things, and will probably find a way to act on his desires. But he will never harm Cornelius, of that I am certain." **

**Dervish comes over to stand beside Sharmila. He looks at me seriously. "It's your call, Kernel, but I don't think you should take him back. You've seen the way demons behave. You couldn't change him." **

**"I could try!" I cry. "If I can change his shape, why not his heart?" **

**"Demons don't experience emotions like we do," Beranabus says softly. "Sometimes they give the impression that they can feel as we feel, care as we care. But they're monsters, all of them. It's their nature. We cannot alter that." **

**I'm crying hard. I look at Art again, wanting so much to hold him, play with him, grow up with him. It's not fair, having to choose. I'd have been happier if I'd never had a brother. To have him for a year… to come through so much to find him… only to be faced with this… having to go back to the loneliness… tell Mum and Dad I couldn't protect him… **

**"Maybe I don't care if he kills!" I shout. "Maybe I just don't want to be lonely anymore, and having a brother matters to me more than anything else. What if that's the case?"**

"Kernel…" Beranabus interjects. "It is your call. That is ultimate. But do not expect him to show the same merciful love towards your family and friends as he will you. You might wake up one day to find smears of blood all over your house and your mother's throat slit, impaled through the chest on a post of her bed."

I struggle with myself. My eyes water, and tears threaten to spill, but none do. My face is contorted in a mixture of sadness, heartbreak, despair, and desperation. I am desperate. I _am_ desperate. For once, I don't care about the wellbeing of others. I listen to my heart and I listen to my conscience. Surely if your mother or father or brother or sister was suddenly revealed to be a demon, you wouldn't just give them away, would you? I find that I don't care what my brother is. I care that he's family, even if different blood runs through his veins. His name is Art, he is my brother no matter what. I love him no matter what.

And that is why, as my chin rises and my eyes meet the Demon Master's, that I tell him of my decision with a new spark of confidence.

"I want to keep him, if you'll let me." I say. Though my voice is shaky, and my body trembling, I am sure of my decision.

The smile looks odd and out of place on the face of Lord Loss. Though I don't interpret it as malicious, I certainly wouldn't describe it as warm. He speaks as if that was the answer he was hoping for, and that does not fuel me with more confidence. But I am not scared off.

"Ah, Cornelius. You are among the most strange of humans. I will be watching you."

With that, Artery disappears from his arms and Art appears in mine. Beranabus, Sharmila, Dervish, and Shark all look grim, but none speak or protest.

I am vaguely aware of the rest discussing what will be done next and where we will all go. But I do not pay any heed. I cradle Art, humming and cooing to him. Relief and happiness rushes into me, and my mind is solely focused on my brother. I love him and I whisper to him as the quartet in front of me continue to argue. I am glad that I have what I came into this world for, not I can return to Earth and resume my happy life with my family. All of my family.

As I am satisfied for the moment, I stop giving attention to my brother and I direct my focus to the group.

"I've searched for the Kah-Gash and I got my brother back. My business here is over with. I need to return to Earth before my parents lose hope on me."

Shark gives me a look full of pity. Dervish looks away. Sharmila glances at Beranabus. Beranabus swallows, then begins.

"Kernel… As you already know. time passes differently between the two universes. What you may not have realized is that though you have only been here for a few weeks, the human world has carried on for several years, maybe decades. Your parents have carried on without you long ago. It's possible they even perished."

I know he is right even before he finishes. I try convincing myself it isn't true. I try telling myself he is mistaken, or he is lying. Perhaps he is more desperate to get my help for his Kah-Gash search than I had anticipated. But no matter what crazy conspiracies I come up with, I know they are all lies. I can either hide from the truth now and go back to Earth and face it first hand, or I can accept things how they are. Though it is hard for me, it doesn't take long for me to choose the latter. I notice that I've been making lots of choices lately, probably more than any boy my age should have to make. Jumping through the window after Art and Cadaver or staying on Earth with my loving parents, revealing my talent of making windows and putting the group's fates in my hands or hoping Beranabus will prevail and not accepting the responsibility, using my guesses so immediately instead of waiting centuries in the board. My life has been nothing but decisions lately, but I do guess that I am still standing, with my brother in my arms, so all of those decisions and choices have probably been made correctly. I didn't feel confident about any of those decisions, but they were still correct. I just listened to what my heart and conscience told me to do, just as I am doing now. Why should now be any different? If I was never wrong before, why immediately start to be wrong now? With those thoughts, any doubt in myself diminishes. I also decide that I can not go back to my parents. They are old, if even alive. It would bring up too much attention from the police and government. It would be reopening old wounds. Despite my inner desires, I will not allow myself to go back to them.

I also decide that I can not stay with Beranabus. He will not like it, but he can not stop me either. Staying in this demon world would not positively affect Art, and it would reduce any chances I had of him growing up to be somewhat good to zero. I must go back to the human world, where he will have no demonic influences on him.

I tell the group of my decision. I tell them what town I will be staying in, if it is ever essential that they must contact me again.

And so I retire to Sharrey, a suburban town thirty miles away from my parents. I decide that I will check up on them and that town in regular intervals. After all, that town was a big family to me. I would be much prouder to call Paskinston my hometown in place of my real one.

I raise Art myself. I am his legal guardian. I work at the gas station part time, and though I don't have much money left over, it makes enough to support myself and my baby brother. In the demon world, Art would have taken centuries to grow up. But here, on Earth, he grows at a slower-than-normal, but still human pace. Occasionally, there are bursts of demonic instances, and people have been injured, but no human deaths. I know he is trying to suppress his heritage, and that more than I could have ever hoped for. I watch him make friends. He has more friends than I did, and I am proud of him. We cruise through life together in our small, cramped apartment, and though nothing about my life could be described as lucky, it is difficult for me to picture anything happier.


End file.
